With its monthly Recognition of Excellence Award, the Rainy River District School Board saluted staff and students at J. W. Walker School during its regular meeting here Tuesday night for their efforts to make the school a greener place.
Most notably recognized was Grade 2/3 teacher Angela Petsnick, whose leadership encouraged staff and students to pledge to be “friends of the Earth” through recycling, composting, and taking action against pollution.
A presentation by Petsnick and two of her students highlighted some of the environmentally-conscious pursuits taken by students and staff at Walker.
These include participating in the annual Earth Day clean-up and the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up, using purchased work gloves while cleaning instead of disposable ones, holding an Earth Day reused book sale, planting three new gardens, and maintaining the ones already there.
They also will be posting an “idle free zone” sign outside the school to remind parents to turn off their vehicle engines. And they also are mindful to turn off the lights in the school when they aren’t being used.
In addition, the school implemented a composting and recycling program, with compost containers in every classroom and blue boxes for plastic and aluminum items.
All compost material is collected daily and put into a compost bin, to be later used in the school’s flower garden. Plastic bottles and tin cans are put out for pick-up while paper products are placed in a large bin.
“We’re leading the way to a better environment by doing these little things every day,” noted one of the students.
Principal Bill Daley noted through these initiatives, the school has reduced the amount of waste going into the local landfill by about 30 percent from last year to this year.
“That’s about three-quarters of the gym full of garbage that’s not going to the landfill,” he stressed, adding they have gone from using a six-yard garbage bin to a four-yard bin.
Daley also indicated although they have a great lunch program at the school, they hadn’t found an environmentally-friendly solution to serving the food until now.
Instead of using Styrofoam plates and bowls, they have discovered containers, knives, and forks made from sugar cane and potato starch.
The biodegradable containers, which he showed to the board last night, are on order to be used with the school’s lunch program.
“It’s really great. I hope all the schools jump on board with it,” Daley enthused, noting all of the staff members are participating in the green initiatives at the school.
“I got them going, but the kids do all the leg work,” stressed Petsnick. “It’s the kids who should be getting a round of applause.”
Trustees Judy Eluik and Donna Dittaro both praised J.W. Walker for its efforts.
“I think it’s great,” Eluik remarked. “We all should be more green.”
“Kids are so heavily influenced by what happens at school. . . . You are to be commended because you know the kids go home and talk to their parents about it and the message gets out,” Dittaro added.
Also at last night’s meeting, the board:
•held elections for the office of chair and vice-chair, with Dan Belluz acclaimed as chair and Eluik acclaimed as vice-chair;
•saw Eluik reappointed as the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association representative, with Belluz as the alternate;
•heard a report from Janet Maxwell on the “Reading Recovery” program;
•approved a number of policies for stakeholder consultation, including student discipline, adult education, reserves for working funds, and budget process; and
•heard the annual report from Education Director Jack McMaster.
